Time's 'Guns in America' cover by the artist JR was months in the making

The cover of Time's Nov. 5 issue, on newsstands Friday, involved a cast of hundreds and months of work, all masterminded by the French artist who goes by the name JR. In a statement, the magazine calls it "one of the most logistically challenging cover projects in Time's 95-year history. ... Over five months, JR and his team, along with a group of Time journalists, traveled to three cities—St. Louis, Mo.; Washington, D.C.; and Dallas—to record, one by one, people who represent the vast range of voices in America's gun debate."

A total of 245 people were photographed, and some of them come to life, so to speak, in the animated version of the cover produced for social media (as seen above). The newsstand/subscriber version of the cover is below.